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Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

theguardian.com

111–120 of 138 posts

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#111
post #78

As someone doing cancer research and running a clinical lab, diagnosing cancer every day, I read the accounts of folks with cancer with a certain degree of lachesism. I want to know what this is. I know chickenpox and a broken leg and I know what it's like to have a loved one with cancer. But the thing itself, I do not know. I spend every waking moment thinking about how to hunt cancer. It used to be reflex, now it's…

I have a lot of admiration towards your “obsession”; it way more meaningful than any of mine, so respect! May I ask, in your opinion, what can I do to lower my chances of getting cancer. So far, I monitor grilled meat consumption, do yearly fasts and watch my carbs. I’d appreciate any advice :)

Cut out any food or drink that includes processed sugar.

Limit alcohol consumption, except for a few glasses per week of red wine.

Reduce intake of any animal products with hormones or artificial feed sources in the supply chain.

RO filter water in the home, whether it’s to drink, cook with, or for other uses.

Filter air in your home, especially if you live near pollution sources (e.g. within 1500 ft of a major roadway). Make sure you buy an air filter with a carbon/charcoal component.

Exercise 30 minutes per day, moderate cardio is fine.

Avoid cheaply processed home goods (think: dollar store inventory) in favor of higher quality products, e.g. wood furniture instead of plastic or synthetic material.

Avoid carpet and synthetic flooring materials in favor of porcelain tile or natural wood.

Do most household cleaning with non toxic cleaners, e.g. vinegar based products with few extra ingredients.

The rabbit hole goes deeper, but there’s a list to start.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#112
post #97
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is great thank you! Do you recall how you managed dosage with the capsules? Also with vaporizing does she use a dry herb vape or concentrate/oil/pen? I’m nervous about giving her a coughing fit.

Dosing is a mess. Here is my advice: Start from good bud. Highest strength / weight ratio. You can get different sized capsules from GNC or similar stores. A given raw plant will be similar by weight, but does vary some. When you bake it, go until it is crunchy dry. Can be an hour, but watch temp. At 250, THC boils off into the air. I used an oven thermometer. Preheat, until you see 235, then put your stuff in there.…

That's so many steps. All I do is put the flowers on parchment paper or any surface in the oven for 30 mins at 245F. There's no need to put it in capsules. It stays fine in a bag for months as long as it's dry enough where you are. I find weaker cannabis is actually nicer for dosing because then it's easy to guage by sight. Just chew up the flowers and swallow. The taste isn't great but it grows on you.

To get started, I'd say eat an amount about the size of a pea then you can eventually find a schedule and dosage that gives desired effects. With more frequent dosing of smaller amounts, (4-6 hrs for me) you can have the benefits while keeping enough tolerance on the mental cloudiness to not get headaches/overwhelmed. There are definitely unique benefits to high-dosage meditative experiences though too.

As someone taking cannabis for breathing difficulties, when I realized I could use such a simple preparation to make it edible, it made life so much easier.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#113
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trying to help my wife through chemo now, and the staying hydrated and eating something is kicking our butts. Her oncologist believes that her nausea is due to directly to disease progression and it's relentless. We're now on a regimen of phenergen every 6 hours but that just prevents cyclic nausea from occurring AND it knocks her out to where she's sleeping at least 20 hrs a day. Then when she wakes up she can only…

Dehydration itself can make a person nauseous. You don't have to take anything orally to treat dehydration. A bath or shower can help with hydration at times when she can't stand to take anything orally. Dehydration isn't always as simple as a lack of fluids. It can also be impacted by a lack of electrolytes and inadequate fat. So it may help to add salt to the bath. Table salt can be problematic for someone in frail…

Humans can't absorb any significant amount of water through the skin in a bath or shower. If the shower raises the bathroom humidity level enough the patient might breathe in a tiny amount of water but it's not enough to matter.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#114
post #112
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dosing is a mess. Here is my advice: Start from good bud. Highest strength / weight ratio. You can get different sized capsules from GNC or similar stores. A given raw plant will be similar by weight, but does vary some. When you bake it, go until it is crunchy dry. Can be an hour, but watch temp. At 250, THC boils off into the air. I used an oven thermometer. Preheat, until you see 235, then put your stuff in there.…

That's so many steps. All I do is put the flowers on parchment paper or any surface in the oven for 30 mins at 245F. There's no need to put it in capsules. It stays fine in a bag for months as long as it's dry enough where you are. I find weaker cannabis is actually nicer for dosing because then it's easy to guage by sight. Just chew up the flowers and swallow. The taste isn't great but it grows on you. To get starte…

Totally. 245F is bit brave, unless you are near sea level :D

In my experience, people who ask about dosing tend to want a little more than, "looks right." And the capsules travel well.

Also, nausea sufferers avoid the taste. They often need to.

I got a jar labeled for herbal sleep aid supplements. The finished capsules look pretty much the same. It is perfect. She never gets questioned.

What you said is totally valid though.

Great comments on the 4 to 6 hours.

I do not use it medically, but have made a ton of different preparations for others. Worked through all forms too, oil, tinctures of various kinds, powder...

I found it all interesting and fun. Some of that work is no longer legal, but it was when I did it.

Made a few candies for myself and those vacations out in the woods.

Strange times. We can talk about these things more with fewer worries.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#115
post #110

Dying from cancer doesn't have to happen anymore. Use hemp oil with at least a 95% THC concentration daily. Search for Rick Simpson oil online for details. You can make the oil at home if you are able to obtain the right hemp leafs. And stay away from chemo!!!

Please don't spread medical misinformation here and give patients false hope.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#116
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dehydration itself can make a person nauseous. You don't have to take anything orally to treat dehydration. A bath or shower can help with hydration at times when she can't stand to take anything orally. Dehydration isn't always as simple as a lack of fluids. It can also be impacted by a lack of electrolytes and inadequate fat. So it may help to add salt to the bath. Table salt can be problematic for someone in frail…

Humans can't absorb any significant amount of water through the skin in a bath or shower. If the shower raises the bathroom humidity level enough the patient might breathe in a tiny amount of water but it's not enough to matter.

That really doesn't fit with my experience. Granted, I have a condition known to cause very bad aquagenic wrinkling, so I likely absorb water better through the skin than most people. But I know someone who doesn't have the same condition who was able to mitigate dehydration with soaking in a tub when they were too nauseous to take anything orally.

The OP's wife has a port and is currently getting fluids that way. He's expressed zero interest in that portion of my remark. I don't see much point in arguing this.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#117
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey the coconut oil suggestion is awesome, thank you so much! I'll definitely look at getting some quality oil and adding it to our regimen. I tinkered with MCT oils and whatnot in the past for my own health and have definitely 'greased the chute' by accident lol. Totally agree on the side effects of dehydration. I could see the cycle happening over the course of a week or two and we'd end up in the ER (8 times in th…

Keep an eye on the port. If they aren't kept adequately clean and end up infected, it's ugly from what I gather. Best.

Yep. There's a whole protocol that the nursing staff has to do when they 'access' (aka stick) it. Extra disinfectant, both my wife and the nurse wear a mask, then an adhesive cover applied right after the catheter is put in.

The way it was described is that the port doesn't have an immune system, so infection can camp out there. They said that if she got any kind of bacterial infection anywhere they may need to remove it because the infection can spread there and hang out.

That said, she's super stoked to have it (finally). My wife's arm's look like she's the world's worst junkie. Giant bruises up and down both because she's always been hard to get started with standard IVs and they've wrecked the veins in both arms. :/

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#118
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep an eye on the port. If they aren't kept adequately clean and end up infected, it's ugly from what I gather. Best.

Yep. There's a whole protocol that the nursing staff has to do when they 'access' (aka stick) it. Extra disinfectant, both my wife and the nurse wear a mask, then an adhesive cover applied right after the catheter is put in. The way it was described is that the port doesn't have an immune system, so infection can camp out there. They said that if she got any kind of bacterial infection anywhere they may need to remov…

Yikes! Yes, a port can be a huge improvement over being constantly jabbed and is often spoken of glowingly by patients who finally get them.

(Insert Borg jokes, if that doesn't offend. We made such jokes when I was taking care of a relative with cancer post-surgery with all the drainage tubes and what not. It helped put the kids at ease a bit.)

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#119
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep an eye on the port. If they aren't kept adequately clean and end up infected, it's ugly from what I gather. Best.

Yep. There's a whole protocol that the nursing staff has to do when they 'access' (aka stick) it. Extra disinfectant, both my wife and the nurse wear a mask, then an adhesive cover applied right after the catheter is put in. The way it was described is that the port doesn't have an immune system, so infection can camp out there. They said that if she got any kind of bacterial infection anywhere they may need to remov…

Hang in there, one stranger to another.

Re: Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’

#120
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. There's a whole protocol that the nursing staff has to do when they 'access' (aka stick) it. Extra disinfectant, both my wife and the nurse wear a mask, then an adhesive cover applied right after the catheter is put in. The way it was described is that the port doesn't have an immune system, so infection can camp out there. They said that if she got any kind of bacterial infection anywhere they may need to remov…

Hang in there, one stranger to another.

Thanks !!!
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